Josée VernerConservativeMinister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages

Mr. Speaker, I want this House to know that Canada has been actively dealing with this issue.

Take for example our mission in Afghanistan, where women have suffered greatly under the rule of the Taliban. Through our mission, we have already helped the Afghan people achieve progress in asserting their rights and taking control of their own future. Twenty seven per cent of members in the new Afghan Parliament are women and 75% of micro loans have been made to women. Women have access to health care, legal aid and literacy services, not to mention access to schooling for young girls. I have—

Mr. Speaker, Canada needs northern gas, but the north needs a fair deal from Canada.

To the media last week the minister suggested that the decision of the Federal Court just did not matter. It seems to me the minister has forgotten his role in judgment on this process. He has a duty to hear from every northerner who has a stake in the pipeline.

Could the minister advise the House if he will be thinking of the needs of average northerners, particularly the needs of aboriginal northerners, upon whose land this pipeline will be built, or will he be thinking of the needs of his friends in the Petroleum Club?

Mr. Speaker, one of the devastating cuts recently announced by Canada's new heartless government was to the summer career placement program. This was a double whammy and a disgrace. It hurt students attending university or college and it hurt important community organizations.

In my riding the grants went to assist mental health groups, seniors, the disabled and many more. However, the primary beneficiaries were groups that helped young children, like the Boys and Girls Club and youth recreation, all of which were not for profit.

Could the minister be specific on which group of young Canadians she was most seeking to hurt, children of the Boys and Girls Club or students saving for post-secondary education?

Lynne YelichConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development

Mr. Speaker, the former government used that summer job program to provide wage subsidies for the largest corporations in the world. At the same time, it put money into the hottest labour markets.

We are going to stop subsidizing big business and stop putting money into the red hot labour markets. We are going to refocus money where jobs are harder to find by spending $45 million per year to help students who are having difficulty finding work.

Yesterday the Minister of Finance introduced the economic and fiscal update. As part of the update, the minister introduced a tax back guarantee for all Canadians. He outlined Canada's new national goal of eliminating our total net debt by 2021.

Could the arliamentary secretary outline for the House how the tax back guarantee will benefit all Canadians in our country?

Diane AblonczyConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his outstanding work as a member of the finance committee.

Canada's new government has set a new bold national goal of eliminating Canada's net debt. As we pay down Canada's national mortgage, the interest savings of reduced debt will be returned directly to Canadian taxpayers each and every year through a reduction in personal income taxes. That is our tax back guarantee.

It will give Canadians a direct stake and a direct benefit in how Canada's new government manages finances on their behalf. Less debt means less interest on debt, which will mean lower personal taxes for Canadians.

Russ HiebertConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34 I have the honour to present, in both official languages, two copies of reports from the Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association concerning the CPA UK Branch Parliamentary Seminar, which was held in London, England and Brussels, Belgium from May 7 to 19; my pre-Abuja conference visit to London, England, August 28 to September 2; the 52nd Annual International Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, held in Abuja, Nigeria from September 1 to 10; and the Study Group on Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures held in Bermuda from October 30 to November 3.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud today to present two petitions with hundreds of names on them.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to reopen the issue of marriage in this Parliament and to repeal or to amend the Marriage for Civil Purposes Act in order to promote and to defend marriage as the lawful union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition with over 100 names asking that terminator technology in Canada be banned. The fact that seeds are made sterile and that seed saving is key to the livelihoods farmers, the petitioners call upon Parliament to enshrine in legislation a permanent national ban on terminator technologies to ensure that these are never planted, field tested, patented or commercialized in Canada.

The first petition calls upon the Canadian government to immediately withdraw Canadian troops from Afghanistan and to develop an independent foreign policy that promotes world peace and ecological sustainability and to grant residence to American war resistors.

The second set of petitions is also about Canada's role in Afghanistan. The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to begin the withdrawal of Canadian Forces from the counter-insurgency mission in southern Afghanistan.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present three petitions on behalf of a number of individuals from Nova Scotia.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to reopen the issue of marriage in this Parliament and to repeal or to amend the Marriage for Civil Purposes Act in order to promote and defend marriage as the lawful union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

With respect to the Income Tax Act and the research and development incentives of the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SRED) Tax Incentive Program: (a) can the government tell us the estimated dollar value it places on unused SRED Tax Incentive Program tax credits; and (b) is the government planning to expand access to these tax credits and to amend refund provisions and, if so, which ones?

Diane AblonczyConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), the amount of SR and ED investment tax credits, ITCs, that have been earned but not used to reduce taxes and are available to reduce taxes in future years was $5.9 billion at the end of 2004. This figure is subject to revision when tax returns are filed and processed by the Canada Revenue Agency. The estimated dollar value of these unused credits would depend on at what point, if any, the ITCs would be used during the carry forward period before they expire. As the use of these ITCs in future years is affected by the future financial conditions of particular companies, it cannot be known with certainty. Information is available on the amount of ITCs earned in previous years and used to reduce income taxes payable in the current year. In the publication “Tax Expenditures and Evaluations”, the Department of Finance provides annual estimates and projections of this amount.

In response to (b), the Department of Finance reviews the effectiveness of tax incentives on an ongoing basis. In this context, the department will continue to review the SR and ED program to ensure its effectiveness in the context of the overall federal strategy of providing assistance for R and D. For example, the 2006 budget extended the carry forward period of unused ITCs, including SR and ED ITCs, from 10 to 20 years. The increase in the ITC carryforward period will be of particular benefit to some businesses, such as research-intensive companies, which may realize little profit for extended periods.